The $252 Oil Change for the MINI Cooper
This is why I change my own engine oil. Oh, and why I change my car’s cabin filter myself.
Let me brush you up on some details as I know some of you don’t follow me every day. We bought a 2005 MINI Cooper (used) back in 2007 for Stacie’s daily driver. We got it with 30,000 miles on the odometer. The MINI comes with a factory maintenance plan for 3 years or 36k miles, and includes everything from scheduled oil changes to unscheduled brake pad replacements. It’s a really nice bonus you get for paying a premium on this small car (As a note, I wrote about which car companies offer free maintenance on their cars).
We got the first oil change at around 34,000 miles, which meant we only had 2,000 more miles left on the free maintenance. That also means we would have to pay out of pocket for all other oil changes (and other maintenance). That was almost a year ago (MINI only requires oil changes every 10,000-15,000 miles, thanks to the synthetic oil). Well, it came time to get another oil change at 45,000 miles.
Since we’re still under the 4 year or 50k mile factory warranty (don’t confuse this with the maintenance plan), I wanted to get them to check out some items like the transmission computer and fan belt. I also decided to get the dealer to change the oil and also rotate/balance the tires. I knew I was in for a ripoff. I didn’t know how bad it would be until we dropped it off though.
Why I pay for dealer services
While I do change my vehicles’ oil and perform other simple maintenance myself, there are a number of reasons to send your car to a dealer for work, even though it seems they’re required, by law, to rip you off:
1. Create good will with dealer: If you take your car into the dealer for all scheduled maintenance, the dealer will more often than not consider you a “good customer”. Because of that, if something happens to your car outside of the warranty period, they’ll be more willing to fix it for free, or offer a big discount. There isn’t a dealer “code of honor” behind this, just numerous real-life examples. Getting your car into their system is also good for when you sell the car and need to show maintenance records.
2. I can get other problems checked out and get a loaner car: I’m a complainer when it comes to creaks and squeaks with my cars, and if it’s still under warranty then you better be sure I’m going to try to get them fixed for free! But oftentimes the dealer “can’t reproduce the problem” and I have to return in defeat (and the problem inevitably returns on the ride home). Whether out of guilt or clever strategy, I’ll pay for small maintenance items like tire rotations that the car needs anyway simply to get a loaner car.
But once the warranty runs out, you won’t see me at the dealer again. I’ll be doing ALL maintenance myself, or using lower cost alternatives like the local mechanic to replace brake pads, etc. (I won’t touch the brakes).
Getting *&$*^$ in the **&# by MINI Service
Ok, that heading is a bit harsh (depending on what words you insert), but I really got ripped off by the dealer. I know exactly how much it costs me to change the oil in my vehicles, although I haven’t worked on the MINI yet (as it’s under warranty, as mentioned). Here’s the breakdown of the oil service, which includes topping off fluids and replacing the cabin filter:
- Windshield washer fluid: $4.19 (I JUST topped this off last week. And I thought a $2 gallon of fluid was pricey)
- Oil Filter: $14.03 (I can get these for $5-8, depending on the quality)
- Synthetic Motor Oil: $46.90. (I get this for $5-6 per quart at Sam’s Club, and the MINI at most takes 5 quarts)
- Microfilter: $65.26 (I get these for $20-30 at Advanced Auto)
- Labor: $122 (wow. Just wow.)
Total Cost: $252
Compared with the $27 I normally spend for changing my own oil, and $20 for changing the cabin filter, this is ridiculous. I’m waiting for Dark Helmet to throw the lever to Ludicrous Speed. They basically charged double on all materials, and charged a full hour of labor for something that takes 15 minutes or less. But I expected this, and just bit the bullet, knowing this would be the last time. The MINI maintenance costs are on par for the scheduled maintenances with my Acura, but at least MINI doesn’t require one every 7,500 miles.
But that’s not all! Recall I also got the MINI’s tires rotated. Cost: $50. Again, double what a local tire shop would charge, if not more.
And alas that wasn’t the final charge. The dealer also decided to tack on two other charges. One for an environmental fee of $6. Another for “shop supplies/hazardous materials” for $17.20. Like gouging me on materials already wasn’t enough. They’re all bogus fees. It costs me nothing to take my used oil to the recycling center, except some gas. I would bet they actually make some money from recycling that oil.
So in total, our day with MINI cost an astounding $332, just for an oil change, cabin filter and tire rotation. But at least I got the transmission computer reset (stupid CVT transmission) and the brakes and fan belt checked. The brakes are still in good shape (half left) and the belt is showing some signs of wear, but not enough to replace yet. And they washed the car, which it really needed. Oh, and I balked at the $200 price for a wheel alignment since that’s also double what the chain shops charge.
Are you clueless when it comes to car maintenance? You’re not alone. There is no shame in it, the only shame is in not starting to learn. Swallow your pride and get a paperback version of Auto Repair For Dummies for only $13.99 at Amazon.
Do you still use the dealer for all of your car’s maintenance?
Let me know your dealer experiences in the comments. If you stil go to the dealer, have you thought about getting the service elsewhere, like NTB, Merchants, Jiffy Lube (oh I hate them) or the local mechanic? What’s preventing you from saving some dough? Do you agree with either of my reasons for using the dealer?
Comment below and let me know!
More from Cleverdude:
Wow. I always knew they called them $tealers for a reason. Good grief!
I take my 2007 to the dealer for the same reasons you do, although I’ll probably stop once the warranty expires. The price for basic maintenance is a little more than my local garage, and while it’s a fair bit more than Jiffy Lube (and other chains), I don’t trust the chains at all.
Plus, a quarterly trip to the dealer gives me an excuse to check out the new models and take a few test drives. They let me take an STI out last time. 🙂
Dealer’s service departments are one of their big profit centers. There is a reason why that is.. they overcharge for most things they do..
I took our car to the dealership when it was still under warranty. I did receive many freebies as I complained about poor quality and frequent recall issues. Now that the vehicle is out of warranty, I found a great mechanic that owns his own shop and gives me a ride home. No free loaner cars, but I was paying for that indirectly with high hourly labor fees.
All places charge at least $35 for the disposal of oil.
All parts they used are likely OEM parts, and not the cheaper ones you would get from the auto parts store. The prices listed by the dealer do not really seem too ridiculous.
Synthetic oil can vary largely depending on what brand the car company has loyalty to.
In another note. I use synthetic oil and my car recommends for 5000 miles. I usually push to around 7500-8000. But, 15,000, really? Maybe I should put it off longer…
Oh yeah. If you go to the dealer GET COUPONS off their website. Look for the best coupons for all the dealers in the area and go there. There almost always is an oil change one. My dealer typically runs them for $99 which takes away the huge labor component.
@Angie: Not all OEM parts are the best parts, especially for older vehicles. I know Acura changed its supplier so their filters were crap. As for synthetic oil, if you buy it in bulk directly from an auto store (or club warehouse), you shouldn’t pay more than $5-7, even for Mobil 1.
As for recommended mileage, ExxonMobil guarantees their full synthetic oil up to 15,000 miles, but under “normal” driving conditions. If you do a lot of stop-and-go, or drive in extreme temps, then 7,500-10,000 is the limit for synthetic, maybe even less.
My fiance takes her car to the VW dealership. The service always seems to be good but than again she only goes to one mechanic. The mechanic is going to be moving to the east coast so we’re a bit concerned about who we’ll be going to now.
I take my Subaru to the dealer because they are completely competitive in their pricing. I only pay $24 for an oil change (and fluids topped off), plus I get the benefits you mentioned (loaner car, etc.).
When I had my really old Ford in Florida, I took it to this wonderful family-owned shop. They did so many small procedures for me for free, because the large procedures (piece of crap car) cost a lot.
Now I take my Toyota to the dealer because I have coupons for free oil change, filters, etc for three years/30000 miles. I’m not sure what I’ll do after those run out … comparison shop I guess!
I take my car to the dealer for oil changes for two simple reasons.
1. It is not worth my time to do it and to dispose (legally) of the oil and other materials.
2. About 15 years ago, I took my new Integra to “quicke” lube. A week later, my transmission case cracked because they had cross threaded a bolt when checking my transmission case. Then, they claimed they didn’t do it. Luckily, I am a lawyer and convinced them to pay for the repairs or face a lawsuit (they would certainly lose as I had kept my receipt and the parts).
To prevent what happened to you, I call ahead and ask them to quote me a price, negotiate, and never let them change the cabin filter (HUGE ripoff). Best of all, the Toyota dealer I like honors the coupons of the Toyota Dealer I hate.
When I was living in Germany, I took my VW to the dealer and they were awesome! (Plus, due to environmental rules, it is very hard to do your own oil changes or even wash the car in the driveway – Big No No!) I worked with one mechanic in particular (he had the best english) and anytime I had an issue there was no charge to hook the car up to the computer to find the problem. Plus recalls were taken care of quickly!
Here in the states, my car is no longer under warrenty (it’s almost 10 years old) and my current city does not have a VW dealership. It does have a FANTASTIC local mechanic (not part of a chain) who specializes in European cars. In fact, my brake light switch went out and it turned out there was a recall on that part but the nearest dealership was 90 miles away. Not a safe distance to drive without brake lights. Local auto parts stores did not have the part because it was a new recall. I contacted my mechanic and not only did he have the part, but he charged me his price and ensured that I could install it myself but going over step-by-step instructions. Final cost: $1.60. Yup, one dollar and sixty cents.
It’s just the dealer you faced. One bad apple doesn’t make an apple tree bad.
We don’t take our cars to the dealer (unless under warranty, and that’s been quite a long time ago), but we do have a mechanic we go to occasionally for maintenance even though my husband could do the work himself–we do this primarily for the reasons you mentioned…to build good will so that when something BIG happens, he remembers all those times we came in on the little things. We have a good relationship with our guy–it has paid off. We can stop by any time when our SES light comes on and he will hook it up for free, tell us what’s wrong, and if it’s something critical or something that can wait. And, he often fixes things for free. Once my window broke and he immediately opened it up right then and there, put a zip tie on it to keep it up so that I could continue running my errands, and didn’t flinch at all when I never went back to get it fixed. (It’s still the way he left it about two years ago…I’m really tired of repairing broken automatic windows). Recently, we took it in for an oil change and he decided to go ahead and change out the fuel filter too, while we had it dropped off. Of course, hubby could have done this much cheaper, but it’s a give and take–sometimes he gives and we take–other times we give and he takes. Biggest advantage–I totally trust his advice–he’s never steered us wrong. And, we’ve sent him a ton of business because of it. I’ve never had a relationship like this with a dealer mechanic.
We take our MINI to the dealer since it’s still under warrenty. But Mr Chiots usually does the work himself. And we bought our new tires from a place that rotates them for free.
We have a local mechanic that’s trustworthy that we take our stuff to.
I took my car to the dealership while it was under warranty, but their oil changes weren’t nearly as ridiculous as what you paid today! Wow. I can’t even fathom paying that much…I would have hit the roof.
I don’t like the chains, though. Jiffy Lube is one of the worst and I’d learn to change my own oil before I go back to them! They’re absolutely terrible. Their service is substandard and the work they do even worse. Do you know, they tried to tell me that I needed to replace my master cylinder once. And then they were so kind as to quote me a price on how much they’d be willing to do the job for. I don’t know much about cars, but I know enough to know better than to take their word for anything. My friend’s mechanic looked at it and said he didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. So, I try to stay away from the chains if at all possible.
You people are crazy. I always go with a quick lube that isn’t a chain store. I’ve never had any problems with them and they don’t charge an arm and a leg like the dealer.
Sounds to me like the dealer has suckered you pretty good on how to be a “good customer”. Are you also a “good consumer” who buys expensive electronics on credit?
@Jon, looks like you’re trying to compare two things that don’t relate: “customer” and “consumer” in this case. I don’t buy expensive electronics, and if I did buy them, I would buy on credit and pay off that month. I haven’t had credit card debt (carried over to the next month) since Sept 2007, thank you very much.
Our dealer is the same way. My wife likes to take her van out there for an oil change (they are reasonably priced) but she’s always calling me with stuff they “need” to do. . . like change the transmission fluid/filter (we only have 25,000 miles on it), air filters and cabin filters (things I can change for $10 but they want to charge her $50+ each). They showed my wife her dirty cabin air filter and tried to have her change it for 50 bucks. I told her to say no and I’d take a look at it when she got home. I pulled the filter and all it needed was a smack on the curb to get some dirt out. I showed it to her and she stated that wasn’t the one they showed her. . . the one they showed her was dirty. . .
I go to the dealer and pay about $100 for an oil change, tire rotation, and inspection. I go to ONE dealer for it all. Why? Peace of mind. They know my car like my doctor knows me. I got my car new (bad if you want to save $) because I value peace of mind. I will have this car ten years and won’t stress, go gray or bald worrying about cars ever again.
@cleverdude
“looks like you’re trying to compare two things that don’t relate: “customer” and “consumer” in this case. ”
How so? In both cases you are adhering to an idea that costs you more money. In the case of buying on credit I am referring to the people who buy and don’t pay it off immediately. You know, “good consumers” who upgrade every few years in order to keep living the “American Dream”.
You paid $332 in the name of being a good customer. Why? So after the warranty is up they MIGHT give you a discount? Why not find someone who will ALWAYS treat you fairly and ALWAYS charge you fairly so you won’t have to hope for a freebie or discount.
@Jon, I see where you’re coming from, and perhaps I should have added that I went to the MINI dealer also because MINIs are less known by regular mechanics due to their size and foreign build. I would never pay that much to get my Honda or our old Chevy done. However, Honda and Chevy would never charge me over $100 for this work either.
I take my Honda to the dealership for oil changes but a large reason is my neighbor works there and makes sure everything is taken care of and I get any discounts available.
But with things so type many of the mechanics are willing to do work outside of the shop for half the price. I’ve saved a couple hundred bucks using an off duty mechanic. Last time I talked to him he was do work for a friend of a friend, just trying to earn some extra cash. So ask around see if anyone knows a mechanic who will do repairs off duty. Plus you get parts at cost.
@cleverdude
I can see that. It just didn’t seem that your justification for going to a dealer made any sense just to build up good credit with the dealer and get a free loaner car. You can rent a car for at least 2 days for the price you paid for the tire rotation…Then again, I understand that we are all in different places financially and all have our conveniences that we are willing to pay for. Just all seemed strange as someone who doesn’t always read here regularly (I do subscribe though).
Just wanted to mention that those ‘hazardous material’ fees and ‘oil disposal’ fees are required by law.
Not that it isn’t a joke, but usually there because it’s required by law.